Woodrow Wilson Bridge

The Woodrow Wilson Bridge, constructed in 1961, carried I-495 (Capital Beltway) across the Potomac River from Jones Point in Alexandria. THe US Congress authorized construction of a six-lane bridge in 1954, and it was originally called the Jones Point Bridge. In commemoration of President Woodrow Wilson's 100th birthday in 1956, it was renamed the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge.1

Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia shared maintenance responsibility for the bridge after it opened in 1961, but the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) owned it. Due to the language in the bill which authorized the bridge in 1954, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge was the only bridge in the interstate highway system owned by the Federal government. The three jurisdictions were unwilling to accept ownership until the US Congress approved funding for a replacement structure, because the existing structure was expected to last only 10 more years. It was also the only segment of the Capital Beltway with only six lanes, so a larger replacement was clearly required.2

The three jurisdictions ratified the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and Tunnel Compact in 1996. Only 700 feet of the bridge crossed through the District of Columbia, though that included the wheelhouse from which a District employee operated the draw spans when tall ships needed to pass. Maryland and Virginia agreed to assume ownership of the new bridge, which was built with 12 lanes.

The project ended up costing $2.357 billion, $86 million less than a 2001 budget estimate. When completed in 2013, the bridge had been replaced, a new Telegraph Road interchange had been constructed, and the THRU and LOCAL lanes west from the bridge had been extended.3

all traffic was switched to the first half of the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge in 2006, allowing demolition of the 1961 structure (on far left)
Source: Virginia Department of Transportation, Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project (July 17, 2007)